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From the library work, the following conclusions with regards to the religio – historical survey of Ancient Israelite religious traditions, to unravel the progressive development of the

tyrIb.

concept through the efforts of various scholars were reached.

In the first instance, it is in the Deuteronomic traditions that the theology of

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received its classical definition. This opinion was stimulated by the Welhausen School of thought, which presupposed that the

tyrIb.

concept did not arise in Israel until the Deuteronomic period because it was Deuteronomic literature that emphasised it so strongly. This has led many scholars to the conclusion that the

171 D. M. Tod. 1960. 216.

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notion of

tyrIb.

was a later development in the Ancient Israelite thought.¹⁷² But recent scholarship has debunked this notion. An instance is the mention of

tyrIb.

^{in Hosea173}, which is in agreement with the two earliest historical strata on the origin of the covenant. This has been cited as evidence of a much earlier date of the Deuteronomic School. Also, the earliest recollections of the relationship of Israel with the LORD have been in form of

tyrIb.

^{communion174.}

Secondly, it has been deduced with a degree of certainty that the history and religion of Ancient Israel presupposed a historic

tyrIb.

between the LORD and Israel¹⁷⁵. The point at which earlier scholars differ was whether the original instance of this historic

tyrIb.

was the one ratified under Moses at Sinai/Horeb or that ratified under Joshua at Shechem. Here, a solution is proffered by the analytic comparison of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua, with the JE traditions of the earlier narratives. It is the general consensus in recent scholarship that the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb was the original, and all other

tyrIb.

afterwards were renewals, or extensions to a wider association.¹⁷⁶

Finally it can be affirmed, positively, that the idea of

tyrIb.

was a notion that has been inherent in the Ancient Israelite religious thought long before the concept was employed at Sinai/Horeb. Even the Sinai/Horeb periscope was derived from the principle which is already understood by the recipients of the

tyrIb.

. Hence, Eichrodt remarked- ―…it can be demonstrated that the covenant – union between YHWH and Israel is an original element in all sources, despite their being in part, in very fragmentary form…‖¹⁷⁷

He opined that the earlier sources depicting the post-Mosaic era manifestly portray the premises of a

tyrIb.

relationship with the LORD, even though the explicit

tyrIb.

terminologies are not present.

172 J. Bright. 1972. A History of Israel. 145.

173 For example, Hosea 6:7; 8:1.

174 This is the line tolled by Th. C. Vriezen. 1970. An Outline of Old Testament Theology, 2^nd Ed., 166, 348-352; J. Bright. 1981. 145; O. Kaiser.1984. Introduction to the Old Testament. 20.

175 Martin Noth stated emphatically that the Sinai Tradition derived from an actual event. Noth, M.

1960. History of Israel. 128.

176 E. Jacob. 1964. 212.

177 W. Eichrodt. 1961. Theology of the Old Testament. 35-36.

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It was concluded, therefore, that the origin of the

tyrIb.

concept in Ancient Israel dated far back into antiquity and that we can affirm that is has been present in the understanding of the people long before the concept was employed to give a definite expression of their relationship with the LORD, from the inception of the community as a people of the LORD. But as at the moment, we do not yet have the means to determine with certainty, where they derive this knowledge of the

tyrIb.

concept; whether from Egypt as Craigie has given a hint¹⁷⁸, or through familiarity with the religious rites at Schechem before the actual entrance and possession of the land, or through contact with Hittite treaty forms¹⁷⁹. Definitely Moses, who was brought up in the royal court of Egypt would have been familiar with treaty documents of Ancient Orient, and Egyptian sources. Also it is notable that ancient treaty documents dating far back to the times of the patriarchs have been discovered in Mesopotamia, from where Abraham, the great Patriarch had originated.

Notwithstanding, we are not sure which of these were the primary sources of Israelite understanding of the

tyrIb.

concept. The only certain fact we can affirm is that, contrary to the Wellhausen school of thought, Israel had been familiar with the

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concept right from the pre-historic times. In all this discourse, however, none of the contributors give adequate treatment of the opinion of the Bible writers themselves. This insight can be garnered from the Deuteronomists who practically applied the covenant principle as a historical reality to the real life situation of Post exilic Israel. This application is evident in the Deuteronomistic Corpus. This work attempts to seek out this application and deduce its underlying principles with the aim of presenting it in a manner that can be applied to varied contexts.

2.1.4 Forms of

tyrIb.

in Ancient Israel

It is a unanimous position among scholars reviewed that the various instances of

tyrIb.

recorded in Israel's literary traditions follow certain patterns and structural forms observable in various Treaty documents, discovered in the Ancient Near East¹⁸⁰. In the first instance, the idea of making a treaty pervades the whole

178 P. C. Craigie. 1976. Book of Deuteronomy. 80-83.

179 J. H. Hayes & J, M. Miller Eds. 1977. Israelite and Judean History, 160-161.; J. Berman. 2011.

CTH 133and the Hittite provenance of Deut13. Journal of Biblical Literature 130.1:25-44.

180 Moshe Weinfeld has brilliantly demonstrated the similarity in structure between the Ancient Israelite

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history of the ancient Near East, and by Archaeology, has provided access to some good samples of such treaties. These include from the Hittite treaties, the treaties of Esarhaddon from the Hittite stock as well as Assyrian treaty documents and the Aramean treaty of Sefire.¹⁸¹ The major sorts of treaty that throw significant light on the

tyrIb.

concept are the suzerainty covenants of Hittite origin. Comparing them with the

tyrIb.

, mediated by Moses, Abe highlighted clearly the basic structural similarities between them, and pointed out the following basic forms:

2.1.4.1Preamble: in this opening section of treaty form which is similar in structure to the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb, the Superior party to the treaty who is usually the initiator introduces himself. In the case of the

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at Sinai/Horeb, God is the initiator, and he introduces Himself thus ―I am the Lord Your God...‖¹⁸²

2.1.4.2The historical prologue: The historical prologue in the treaty forms usually recount the basic situations and circumstances that underlie the treaty, and give a rationale for the treaty. In the case of the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb, the narrative of the deliverance from Egypt parallels this form, and presents the LORD as a Benevolent Sovereign.

2.1.4.3The stipulations: the stipulations of the Hittite treaty forms are usually the obligations required from the weaker and dependent state. It is usually in the form of tributes, and mandatory military service. The terms and stipulations of the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb can be discerned in the provisions of the Decalogue and the Book of covenant, which could be seen as Israelite civil law.

2.1.4.4The deposit and public reading: In the

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at Sinai/Horeb, Moses was required to keep copies of the book of the covenant in the Ark, which is seen as the throne of the LORD, who is invisible but present. This parallels with the ancient Hittite practice of depositing copies of their treaty documents at the foot of their gods. Also, the book of the law is meant to be read and taught to the assembly of the Israelites during the religious festivals, just as the treaty terms of the ancient Near East require that the terms of their treaties be read in public hearing of the assemble of citizens of the vassal states.

Covenant and ANE Vassal Treaty forms. Weinfeld.1972. Deuteronomy and Deuteronomic School.

181 F. F. Bruce. 1996. 236.

182 Exod.20:1-2a.

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2.1.4.5List of witnesses: it is a normal action in most ancient Near Eastern documents to call or list the objects of natural phenomena such as mountains, rivers, rocks, trees e.t.c., As witnesses to their contracts and treaty pacts. This is particularly visible in the Deuteronomic presentation of the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb; for instance, in Deuteronomy 30:19, where Moses calls the heavens and the earth as witness, and in Joshua 24:27 where Joshua sets up a stone and presented it as a witness to the covenant renewed at Shechem.

2.1.4.6The blessings and curses: The treaties always include a description of the negative consequences of breaching the terms of the treaty. These consequences are usually implemented by the suzerain, but the gods and deities were seen as the ultimate judge who would visit the offender with woes and ruin. A parallel to this is seen in Deuteronomy 28:1-68, in which Moses sets out the blessings and curses of the

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, renewed in the plain of Moab.

2.1.4.7The Oaths: Treaties are usually concluded with swearing of oaths. Even though the making of oaths is not clearly depicted in the Exodus narrative of the

tyrIb.

at Sinai/Horeb, Abe¹⁸³ observed, rightly, that the people's informal verbal consent to abide by the terms and dictates of the book of the covenant served the purpose.

However, in Deuteronomy, there are instances of reference to the

tyrIb.

, mediated by Moses, as ― covenant and oath‖(Deuteronomy 29:13 found in 29:14 in the English version; ) as well as a allusion to the covenant God ―swore‖ to their fathers (Deuteronomy 4:31). Furthermore, the liturgical setting of the pronunciation of curses and blessings in Deuteronomy 28:1-68 presupposes the process of swearing an oath.

In summary, it could be said that, though there were no rigid forms to which all the treaties in Ancient Near East rigidly conform, yet the above forms give a loose picture of an average treaty in Ancient Near East, and show clearly that Israel utilises the

tyrIb.

concept as a phenomenon with which she was very familiar within her immediate environment. Ancient law-codes, dating as early as the Patriarchal periods, have been discovered, which also show great similarities with the structure of the Decalogue, and display certain structural affinities with the

tyrIb.

at Sinai / Horeb as shown in the Exodus account. These include the Urukaniga Law Code, which

183 G. O. Abe. 1987 , 99-103.

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pre-dates the Ur-Namu Law code, dating about 2100-2050 BC¹⁸⁴ and the Law code of Hammurabi, dating about 1795-1750 BC.

However, the scholars reviewed so far, approached the

tyrIb.

^concept

from a European understanding, which treated

tyrIb.

as equivalent to the English ‗covenant,‘ and perhaps, is not fully concomitant with the Semitic outlook on the meaning and significance of

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. Though the structural affinities between the treaty forms and the

tyrIb.

concept is given a prominent place, the distinctive phenomenological aspect in

tyrIb.

is often neglected. This aspect is the employment of the fear appeal, in which the structural form, similar to that of the treaty documents of the Ancient Near East is employed in

tyrIb.

as a sort of cognitive mediating process to create a vivid awareness of the threatened dangers and the promised benefits of keeping the terms of the

tyrIb.

. It is really important to explore the implications of the structural forms common to Ancient Near Eastern treaty documents as a vehicle of cognitive mediating process which is employed in the

tyrIb.

concept to ensure its efficacy in regulating human behaviour in the Ancient Israelite context and investigate this phenomenon in such a way that it could be easily decipherable to an African mind. This thesis would fill in this gap.

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